July 29, 2013 by RVBusiness · Comments Off on Utah RV Park Suing City to Extend RVers’ Visits

East Bay RV Park

The owners of an RV park are asking officials in Springville, Utah, to allow patrons to stay longer at the park.

In February 2011, the Winkel family purchased the East Bay RV Park near the freeway entrance to Springville, a paved 175-site facility. Since then, they have come to the city asking for a change in city ordinance to accommodate longer-staying patrons. City officials, however, are concerned about people essentially moving in and never leaving, the Daily Herald, Provo, reported.

“In the last meetings before the city council passed the ordinance, the Winkels made a presentation,” Springville city administrator Troy Fitzgerald said. “Their request was to have 120-day stays with no hiatus. In the final meetings, the Winkels orally discussed 180-day stays with a three-day hiatus for the patron, while allowing the recreational vehicle to stay in the park.”

Fitzgerald continued, “For more than 10 years, Springville allowed for stays of up to 120 consecutive days with a five-day hiatus period in between. Following the adoption of an ordinance limiting stays to 120 days in a calendar year, the Winkels then initiated legal action.”

According to the complaint, “the city may not require recreational vehicles to be removed from the park and may not impose length of absence requirements upon patrons of the park.” City officials disagreed with this, and the court shot it down, essentially saying, according to Fitzgerald, that East Bay RV Park cannot allow people to live in the park. They can only stay a certain number of days.

NJN Development Group, the former owners, sued Springville city in 1999. The lawsuit was dismissed and the sides agreed to a settlement on May 31, 2000, according to a settlement agreement and release document provided by the Winkel family. In that agreement, park patrons are allowed to stay for 15 days with up to seven renewals — 120 total days, with the hiatus days in between.